I hate my kitchen. (Obviously – that’s not a picture of it.)
Yeah, I know. 1st world problems. I have a kitchen! Full of food and several full sets of dishes. I’m lucky.
But, you guys.
It’s ugly. I can’t even bring myself to post a picture of it.
Edited: FINE. HERE!
My actual kitchen. Sigh.
Kitchen: ”Stop looking at me! I yam eed-ee-yus!”
This picture is sideways on my Ipad, and I can’t fix it. Unfortunately, the 90 degree turn doesn’t make it look any less awful.
I didn’t even like it when we bought the house, BUT after sharing a 600 square foot Manhattan apartment for 10 years, I thought SPACE! HOLY CRAP LOOK AT ALL THAT STORAGE! And was fine with it.
Plus, I was 2 weeks from 21 hours of labor pains, so I was much more focused on A HOUSE! A NURSERY! LOOK! CLOSETS! DID I MENTION ALL THIS F#$&*N’ STORAGE? LET’S CLOSE ON THIS MUTHA!
I’d offer a disclaimer about offending the person who specifically chose all of this when they had so many better options (we’re only the 2nd owners), but frankly, I’m offended every time I look at the tone on tone cabinet and back splash combo, cruddy floor choice, and cheap countertop.
I get it. That’s why they make different colored shirts. What looks good on you, doesn’t work for me. Diff’rent Stokes Rule The World, Yes They Do.
Frankly, my kitchen is very Texan. (Sorry, all you tasteful Texans!) But, can we all agree that there is another neutral than brown? There just is. I’ve seen so many drool-worthy kitchens with natural wood cabinets. Some in my very own neighborhood, so I know the option was there. (Double frustrating.) But there’s some contrast in those kitchens. The backsplash or appliances sparkle. The floors are high quality.
That isn’t the case in my house.
Pump the breaks, Jules. This is our first house, not our forever house, and we’ve intentionally chosen not to over-improve. That said, I think everyone has been given fair warning that if you come into my home and stand in one place for too long, there is a strong possibility that I will paint you.
Foreshadowing: SOME PAINTING OF CABINETRY IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
Help me decide what to do. Yes, I want to sell this house in a couple of years, but I also don’t want to gag every time I cook, (not exactly the reaction you want in a kitchen…or anywhere, really.) So, I’m going to zhush it a little. Where’s the happy medium of ”highly marketable/classic” and “cool and distinctively IMPROVED?”
Erin hit the nail on the head with this post. I want to go creamy white, but I don’t want to scream HEY LOOK, I PAINTED MY UGLY BUILDER’S GRADE KITCHEN WHITE! (I am paraphrasing/practically plagiarizing what Erin made me realize with her post, in case you don’t click the link.)
PS: There are LOTS of these discussions on the innerwebs, I have found. Those with ugly kitchens unite. Maybe there’s a support group.
What to do?
My fake-but-trying-to-come-off-as-stone countertops look like this. (Is it any wonder I feel like vomming? I think I have cleaned something my cat coughed up that looks eerily similar.)
My actual countertops with paint and hardware options.
I’d need to keep these. I will have sparkly quartz countertops one day, but for now, these are fine, and I want to keep true to my “don’t over-improve” mantra.
And I have black appliances. With basically red brown cabinets and red brown back splash.
This is WAY prettier than my kitchen, but the colors are about the same and the lighting is better. See those 12″ square (I think they’re actually floor tiles) set in a diamond pattern as the backsplash in the pics above?
I’m the cheapest person you ever met, so I want to spend…nothing. Is that possible?
I’m kidding.
But not really.
Should I go 2 tone to tie in the colors in the countertop? I have to tackle the backsplash, too, but I may pull a Candace. CoughcoughYoSoyElCheapoGrandeCoughCough. There are so many cool colors of chalk paint, and I could cute the hell out of that.
Ok – I’m about to post some pictures…not of the DREAM kitchens we all pin, but of realistically, what the kitchen has a better chance of looking like.
Like so?
I’d definitely do darker grey/black (grack) lowers than these because I’d need
1) to contrast with my light gray walls and
2) maybe my black appliances would blend in a little more like “Hi, I was less expensive than stainless. Try not to notice.”
The goal is to not end up like this:
One day, I will build this:
From Houzz.com
From Houzz.com
But, in order to GET TO that, I need to improve what I got without spending a fortune.
All white? Two tone? Painted backsplash? Comments are open, people. Weigh in.
Are your floors wood? If so, you should paint them….looks soooo cool, and would offer another layer to contrast and break up the dark colors.
I wish my floors were wood. I love painted wood floors. You’re right on. But, alas – they are not. They are some kind of gross linoleum, and they’re staying for the next owner to deal with.
I’m a traditional kitchen girl- as in, I like my bottom and top cabinets to be the same color. I liked your lightest gray paint color option for all your cabinets and I loved the pulls you picked out (Ikea?). What putting in some white beadboard over the top of your backsplash (ie: http://www.remodelaholic.com/2012/07/green-accent-kitchen-makeover/) ? One of the kitchens you pinned had that. OR one of my girlfriends recently upgraded her backsplash with the inexpensive white subway tiles BUT she layed them on a herringbone pattern and they looked fancier. Also, do you know you can get stainless steel fronts for almost all appliances now?Or there’s always Craigslist. I was just looking at stainless stoves for less than $100 on there.
Great ideas, Katie! Thanks!
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